NairobiÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s Long Rains season traditionally brings several urban challenges. A year ago, during the same season, a school bus was trapped in flooded waters and pupils had to wait for over 10 hours to be rescued. Unconfirmed reports indicate that on the same day and along the same road, one motorist died while trapped in […]

There has been lots of talk over the last few years about ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“decongestingÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ the city of Nairobi. Unfortunately most of it has been done on paper with the few practical attempts towards ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“decongestingÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ proving to be either short term or complete failures. Nearly all of these proposals have been dubbed as ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Quick winsÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ focusing on […]

The recent drive towards an open market economy has led to the private sector providing various services that were traditionally under the mandate of the state or municipality. Critics, however, view this development as an opportunity for well-connected individuals to control essential services and reap profitable returns. In Nairobi, Kenya, some of the key areas […]

Recent decades have experienced a revolution in urban transportation with the ensuing development of ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“alternative meansÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ of modern urban transport. Harvard professor Clayton ChristensenÃƒâ€šÃ‚Â calls these alternatives ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“disruptive technology,ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ which uses simple innovations that differ from the traditional modes of urban mass transit like regular bus services, light rail trains and Metro Rail. South American […]

Years back Ebenezer Howard proposed a ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Garden CityÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ in his famous text ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Garden Cities of TomorrowÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢. The world famous urbanist envisioned self-reliant and independent cities that are spacious and organized; have limited/controlled populace and unified land ownership. Le Corbusier later analyzed the challenges faced by increased urbanization in Europe and came up with his version […]

City streets play a major function in urban life and economy. Dynamic Streets, like those within Central Business District areas that serve multiple users can at times be said to be the life of a city. Nairobi Tom Mboya Street is a relevant example of this type of multi user street . Located at the […]

Current global trends indicate that over 50% of the world’s human population lives in urban areas. Although the figure for the African continent is lower at Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â 40%; its growth rate of 3.6 % is double the worldÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s average and the highest globally. Urban centres have greater requirements for the generation, distribution and consumption of energy […]

One of the most ambitious projects on the African continent was the construction of the (Kenya) Uganda Railway Line. A British imperial project, it was later dubbed the ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‹Å“Lunatic Line.ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â Passing through 5 different physical regions Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â comprising a variety of vegetative and climatic zones the line stretches from the coastal lowlands to the vast plateau, […]

The earliest known use of cable transit for passenger Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â transportation was in 250 B.C in South China. Though they have been used in European ski resorts for decades, it is only in the last few years that their use in urban centres has become widespread. Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â Last year (2014), the Bolivian Government launched what is […]

Transportation is the movement of people and goods from a point of origin to a destination. Several means can be employed; from the more popular cars and buses to bicycles, boats and even ferries. Over the last few decades Urban Centers have grown exponentially both in population size and surface area. Urban developers have realized […]